Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 373 Disaster Strikes
"I do not accept your surrender!"

The Blood God, seated atop his brass throne, was enraged by the last mocking remark. His brass gauntlets creaked as he smashed the throne's skull in fury.

Khorne is courage and glory; He would rather die than admit weakness, and He would never surrender to anyone.

Doom's mockery before his exile ignited the pent-up anger in the Blood God's heart, unleashing a raging inferno that instantly engulfed the Blood Plains.

"Well done!" Inside the Archon's armor, the Void Dragon roared excitedly, "When a Warp God comes to the Material Realm, He should be thoroughly humiliated and banished without mercy!"

"These evil spirits should stay in the non-material realm. Why should they taint our domain?"

The Void Dragon God's consciousness surged, and he hadn't felt so exhilarated in a long time. Not long after his consciousness left the cage, he saw the evil god he hated most suffer a setback, and his joy surged like a tide, almost making him lose himself.

"Retreat." Doom ignored His delight, activated the teleportation lasso, and gave the legion the order to retreat.

Most of the value of the world of Gra has been recovered; the Legion should leave and cease its pointless attacks.

With the power supply equipment destroyed and the planetary shield rendered ineffective, the strategic objective was achieved, and the outcome of the war was decided.

Orbital bombardment will purify Gera and completely annihilate Lady Clara.

The various deployments made later were actions taken by Li Tang in cooperation with Dum, which were outside the attack plan and represented flexible control of the battlefield.

With the order to retreat given, Doom and the Primarch Guard vanished in a flash of white light, and the Imperial Guard also left in unison.

On the contrary, the cleanup troops scattered across the battlefield did not immediately withdraw but continued their tasks.

Because the Primarch is not a battlefield commander, he can command his personal guard, but other units are different and must wait for the Archon's orders.

After the military reforms, many previously minor issues were made more specific, the authority of commanders was strengthened, and institutional authority took precedence over personal authority.

On the bridge of the old Glory, Li Tang was confirming feedback from various units until all units on the battlefield had completed their respective objectives.

He took a deep breath and ordered in a low voice over the communications channel: "Ground troops, withdraw immediately."

With the governor's order given, the ground forces activated the teleportation lasso, ending ground operations and returning to the old Glory.

"Ten consecutive wins confirmed..."

"One after another, his return has been confirmed..."

"Four-person team confirmed to be back..."

The reports from each company indicated that no further incidents had occurred, and Li Tang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Mrs. Clara's strength far exceeded strategic assessments.

Even with warnings from the Ultramarines and constantly raised expectations, it's only after actual contact that one can truly appreciate the power of the Xenomorphs.

Li Tang turned his attention to the war summary. From the moment the war began, the fleet began to collect information and record everything about the war. After the war ended, the information was compiled into written reports and submitted.

"Remove the record of the Chaos' descent from the Empire's records." He activated his authority and ordered the deletion of all records related to demons to prevent the spread of chaos.

"Access confirmed," Captain Wang Lang said, performing a series of operations to delete the chaotic information and reorganize the war report: "War report reorganized."

"Three minutes later, the true report will be stored in the preservation room, and all data records will be deleted."

"Thank you for your help." Li Tang nodded, the cleanup work was now complete.

The true report will be deleted from the information record, stored by special firmware, and sent to a psionic-isolated storage room to prevent it from being tampered with by demons.

Reports of deleted specific information, after being compiled with other information, will be sent to the Human Empire War Council to share intelligence for the Empire's reference.

As he was busy with the cleanup work, the bridge hatch opened, and the Father of Genetics, stained with the blood of demons, walked in with the descendants of the Harlan and Grae families.

Doom stepped through the gate, raised his hand to stop everyone from bowing, and asked the Legion's eldest son, "What do you plan to do about the other worlds, where there is Lady Kra?"

Of the twelve thousand carats of Lady Gra, the main star of Gra, half of the original star survived the multiple attacks and is now hiding deep underground or in the mountains and forests.

"If the shield fails, I will resolutely use orbital bombardment or other methods to destroy the planet." Li Tang's face was serious, without hesitation, firmly supporting his own opinion.

Lady Krak is a powerful individual; aside from the Primarch, few individuals within the Human Empire or Nur can suppress the Xenomorphs. Now that they have lost their leader and retreated into the shadows and deep mountains, eliminating their threat would require an unimaginable price, demanding a massive investment of time and energy.

Doom stared at the holographic star map, his brows furrowing slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke again: "Have you spotted Lady Kra's voidship?"

“No.” Li Tang stepped forward and opened the holographic projection, which displayed a real-time image. There was a Lady Kra captive lying on the ground in the cell, looking listless. “According to the captive, they did not have a void ship. They came to the main planet of Grada through a portal.”

"The Primal Ones, deep within the warp, captured the consciousness of a psionicist, took over his body, and opened a portal to arrive in Gera."

“That’s why I have every reason to destroy this world.” He looked at the pale-faced Gera and gave an apologetic look: “The Primal Ones use bizarre methods, such as ‘psychic marks,’ to imprint the local inhabitants with their own marks.”

"After Lady Clara finishes feeding, she will leave the planet, leaving behind a portion of her bloodline marked. After the Soul Food has developed for several generations, it will open a portal through the psionic mark and cross the starry sea to return and feed again."

"This cycle continues, securing a stable food supply, allowing them to roam the galaxy and reap the rewards of one world after another."

“So I’m sorry,” Li Tang shook his head at Gela, “we can’t save the world from a physical standpoint.”

"The other worlds under the Gra family may still be saved. The Gra main planet has been marked by the Primals, and Lady Kra can return at any time."

Grae's face was ashen. How could he have imagined that after summoning reinforcements and eliminating the alien leader, his homeworld would end up like this?

"Given the wealth you have offered, I will give you two options."

Doom spoke up at the right moment, holding up a finger: "First, it will give you the core territory of the Nur Star Cluster. Your family's STC template will be put into production, and a portion of the wealth obtained will be given to you, ensuring your continued prosperity."

“The second option,” he held up his second finger, “is to serve as the governor of a world within the Nur Star Control territory, continuing your rule under Nur’s protection.”

"If you abide by the law and ensure the development of the world, your rule will last forever."

"I choose option two!" After hearing the conditions given by the Lord of the Stars, Grall did not hesitate and decisively chose the second option.

“But Lord of the Stars,” his expression softened slightly, his eyes revealing a cold ruthlessness, “my only request is that I personally destroy the corrupt bloodline of the main planet Gra, and introduce an outside population to rule Gra.”

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Doom's eyes flashed with surprise. Gra's choice was unexpected, ruthless yet persistent and stubborn.

“This place is adjacent to the Abyss Beyond the River,” he turned and pointed to the dark void, then lightly tapped the ground. Below the holographic bridge was the verdant planet of Grala: “It is far more barren than other worlds.”

“Great King,” Gera knelt before the tall figure, his voice trembling, and uttered four words with unwavering resolve: “It is hard to leave one’s homeland.”

It’s hard to leave your homeland.

Gela didn't say anything about rebuilding the world or restoring the family's glory; all his emotions were summed up in four simple words.

“Alright.” Doom was touched by his sentiment and granted his request.

Without the STC template, the main planet Grava lost its hidden value and became just an ordinary jungle world, making its reconstruction extremely difficult.

They gave up a comfortable life in the core territory and the easy-to-obtain stable right to control the territory, choosing instead to stay and build their hometown.

This courage and emotion surpassed that of many frontier nobles.

“Nur will help you rebuild this world,” Doum walked up to Gera and reached out to help the kneeling young man up. “I hope you will inherit this courage and sentiment, and never forget it.”

"Unforgettable!" Grasp the large hand, feeling its power even through the cold gauntlet, and solemnly promised, "The main planet of Gra will never forget your kindness."

Doom smiled but didn't reply. It was just a verbal promise; the key was how to do it and how to put it into action.

He reached out to help Gela up, led him to the holographic command console, and took out the diamond-shaped controller from his dimensional pocket.

Under Harlan's regretful gaze, Doom handed the controller to Gela: "Your family treasure is perfect for cleansing this world."

Grae took the controller, holding the power to destroy the world in his hand. It was cold and heavy, making him tremble uncontrollably.

"Release the nano-plague." Li Tang ordered Captain Wang Liang, "Let the nanomachines cleanse this world."

"Instructions received, nanocontainer released."

On the belly of the former Glory ship, a force field container was launched, containing the nano-disaster recovered from the Gra family.

(End of this chapter)